1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a composition for a stringed musical instrument body and/or neck and a method of making a stringed instrument body and/or neck from such a composition, and more specifically to a guitar body manufactured from a composition possessing qualities similar to those of wood body guitars.
2. Related Art
In the past, stringed instrument bodies, particularly guitar bodies, have been made of wood stock material. Generally, expensive wood is used and it must be dried prior to use. Blocks of the wood as a whole or in part are assembled into a desired configuration and thereafter machined to a final shape. Various recesses are also machined into the body to accommodate necessary components. Necks for such guitar bodies are also generally fabricated from wood stock.
There are a number of drawbacks, however, associated with conventional wood bodies and necks. One such drawback is that the wood stock is expensive. This adds cost to the end product. Additionally, because of various naturally occurring deformities in the wood stock, many blocks of wood are frequently discarded. This further adds to the cost of the end product. Additionally, machining the wood is a time and labor intensive operation which even further adds to the cost of the end product. Finally, inconsistencies in the wood, such as knots, result in uneven sound qualities and unwanted or dampened resonances.
What is needed, and has not heretofore been developed, is a guitar body that can be molded from synthetic materials, and which simulates a wood guitar body in terms of sound, weight, feel, look, etc. Also, it would be important to develop a guitar body having uniform sound qualities associated therewith. Additionally, it would be desirable to develop a simple and inexpensive method for manufacturing such a guitar body. However, it would also be important to maintain the rich sound quality of wood.
There have been numerous attempts in the past to overcome the drawbacks associated with wood guitar bodies. One example of such an attempt is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,290,336 to Peavey dated Sep. 22, 1981. This patent is directed to a guitar neck and body made at least in part of moldable materials. In one embodiment disclosed in the patent, moldable materials may be positioned about a core material such as wood. In another embodiment disclosed in the patent, the guitar body is made up of a clam shell type construction, i.e. two opposite halves are formed and then joined together.
Another attempt to overcome the problems associated with wood body guitars is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,119,009 to Kaman, II dated Oct. 10, 1978. This patent is directed to a guitar having a neck comprised of structural foamed plastic surrounding a frame.
Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 3,911,778 to Martin dated Oct. 1975, discloses a neck for a guitar comprising a metallic frame combined with structural foamed plastic.
However, these patents do not overcome all of the drawbacks associated with wood guitar bodies in that the sound qualities of the bodies are not entirely uniform, assembly of the components of the bodies and the necks takes time and money, and the wood-like quality of the body is not maintained. Specifically, these prior efforts include bodies having component parts and do not undertake to provide a unitary body. Further, the highly desirable sound quality of wood is not maintained.
None of these previous efforts in this field disclose all of the benefits and advantages of the present invention, nor do any of the previous efforts teach or suggest all of the elements of the present invention.